Don't Tread on Me
by Nemu-saa
Summary: During the long hours spent in Beck's custody, Jake is having trouble holding onto consciousness as well as hope. Who knew that the fifteen-year-old memory of a rattlesnake encounter would give him the courage he needs? Twoshot. Clean
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Don't Tread on Me

**Summary:** During the long hours spent in Beck's custody, Jake is having trouble holding onto consciousness as well as hope. Who knew that the fifteen-year-old memory of a rattlesnake encounter would give him the courage he needs? Twoshot. Clean

**Rated:** K+ (PG) for mild peril

**Feedback: Really?** Wow, this is like Christmas in July! You're so thoughtful... honestly, any kind of feedback you want. Especially flames, they're so amusing! But praise and criticism are great, too. ;)

**Disclaimer: **I don't own any part of the show, but as it's been discontinued, I don't suppose the copyright police will mind so much.

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**Don't Tread on Me**

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He couldn't move. That was odd, wasn't it? And if he couldn't lift his head, how would he know what time it was?

But that was silly. Time and feeling were nonexistent now.

The room was so quiet but the inside of Jake's head was full of noise. The buzz of the blinding light over head, the drip of pipes behind the wall, the scrape of his shoe against the floor. Even his own breathing was tinny and shrieking, like a bad-quality recording turned up too loud.

Mismatched words jumbled together, trying to form a train of thought that escaped him every time he managed to grasp it.

And the memories.

Echoes proceeded a sudden memory that he snatched up quickly, just so he could have a clear thought to hold onto.

_Careful - care- Jake! Fall… Jake careful - fall! you'll fall! _

"Jake, careful, you'll fall!"

"No, I wont! Look, there're four different hand holds. Come on!"

"No _thanks_. Please, Jake? Dad'll kill us if he knows we're out this far. Just come back up!"

"Alright!" Jake sighed. "You're no fun, Eric."

He flashed a fourteen-year-old grin up at the face leaning over the edge. The land sink he was climbing down, was about twenty feet in diameter and ten feet in depth. Jake had wanted to climb the steepest part. No particular reason, it just looked crazy and impossible, which were two of his favorite things.

Eric shook his head irritably and his face disappeared from view. When he spoke again, he sounded farther away. "I'm going back home, it's getting dark. Are you coming?"

"Yeah, yeah. Just let me get back up. You go ahead."

So he hadn't managed to talk Eric into trying it. So what? Honestly, he preferred it if Eric didn't want to do the daring things he did.

Jake decided that, as long as he was alone in his endeavors, he was special and no one was quite like him.

He never thought "superhero"… but the idea remained a tinkling itch on the bottom floor of his mind.

Jake found a good foothold and pushed himself up far enough to get both elbows on ground level. Eric was already a few yards away.

He pushed his right knee up onto the hard soil, and began pulling the other up next to it.

And then he froze.

_shrttthhhhrrrrtttrrr! _

It was the biggest one Jake had ever seen. He'd only seen two and they'd been from far off. So the fact that this one was only three feet away possibly made it seem bigger. But the diamonds on its back glistened in the sun, every detail standing out as a sharp testament to the trouble he was in.

"Eric…" his voice barely made it past a whisper.

Eric turned back and the irritated look abruptly vanished. "Oh my gosh." His mouth fell open. "Jake -"

Jake bit his lip. He was losing feeling in his left leg from letting it hang there so long. The rattle snake bobbed it's head up and down as though sizing him up and it rattled loudly.

What was he supposed to do? He couldn't just sit there.

He moved his left leg up so slowly, he could barely feel it moving himself. But the snake noticed. It hissed, exposing the white inside of its mouth and a forked red tongue.

"Jake…"

"Hang on." Jake muttered.

He slid back just a little and his left foot finally drew beneath him to meet his right. He froze again. The snake hadn't moved but it flexed its thick, olive-colored body as if winding up to strike.

He couldn't slide away, and the idea of sitting here a second longer made his head spin. He would just have to bolt. Slowly gathering his feet under him so he was crouching, he took a deep breath, and launched.

Jake had always been fast. In Phys-Ed, he could complete twelve sprints in the time it took all the other kids (except Jeffery Lake) to run five.

But the snake was faster.

There was a sting on the back of his ankle and he felt fangs dig deep in his flesh.

He cried out, squeezing his eyes shut and didn't see the ground rushing up to him. Somewhere at the end of a long, empty tunnel, he could hear Eric shout his name and start running towards him.

He kicked his leg hard and the fangs released, sending the snake tumbling toward the cliff. It disappeared over the edge .

Eric reached him and grabbed his arm, dragging him a little ways away. "Jake? Jake! Are you okay? Jake, c'mon!"

"I don't- I don't know…" his head felt odd and the bite stung horribly. "Help me up."

Eric nodded and took his hand again, pulling him upright. Jake tested his feet. They felt sturdy enough, but he let Eric take his arm. "Do you think you can get back? Where'd the snake go?"

Jake wasn't sure about the first one so he answered, "Over the cliff. He's gone."

"Okay. Come on, we need to get back so dad can -"

A strange swirling sensation suddenly started from Jake's foot and seemed to bubbled up his leg and straight to his head. Before he knew what had happened, the world did a graceless summersault and his knees buckled

Eric's hand slid up his arm, latched again on his shoulder, then slipped off altogether.

"Jake!" Jake felt his brother drop down next him, panic returning in his younger voice. "Are you alright, what happened?

"I can't… Eric… help - Dad…" Jake could sense his fingers going numb and stiff fire shot up and down him. His leg was already beginning to swell.

"What do I do? Jake? Jake, answer me! Come on, get up. Get up! _Get up! _

"Get up! You heard me, up now!" Jake opened his eyes.

The glare of the ultra-bright light had been replaced with a dim 60 watt, and Beck was standing across the room with his arms folded. "Get _up_!"

One of the soldiers who'd come in, walked over and gave Jake a hard kick in the chest, forcing him to double up and screw his eyes shut again with the pain.

"Up!" The soldier shouted.

"I can't." Jake ground out exhaustedly.

Beck studied him a moment, then nodded at the two guards. They each took one of Jakes bound arms and sat him up roughly against the wall.

Beck drew up a chair and straddled it, leaning his arms coolly on the back. "How long you gonna let this go on, Jake? You know we're going to find Stanley Richmond eventually. Why not save yourself and your friends the extra hardship and just end it? You can end it, Jake."

Jake licked his dry lips and rolled his head to the side. "End what?"

Beck squinted at him. "You know very well wha -"

"How is getting Stanley or any of them… going to end it?" He coughed and closed his burning eyes. "You fight a little crime, catch a few criminals… do exactly as your told. You're not ending anything, your building it up. And you can't even …" he coughed again. "Can't even explain it to yourself… 'Cause deep down you - you know… you're just the middle man, letting murderers like Goetz run around free."

"This isn't about me, Jake, it's about -"

"You don't want to make it about you! But every s-soldier in the country is being strung along by the same lies. You know it's all wrong, but you blame it on so-called criminals and say you're…you're doing some kind of… duty to your country. Now it's just a bunch of well-acted mercenaries with guns… confusing everyone till their willing to believe anything. You're not a Major anymore, you're a puppet for Jennings and Rall, designed to not ask any questions."

"Stop it," said Beck under his breath.

"You think you're fighting for what you believe in… but you… you believe in a ghost. A lie fed to scared little kids to keep them calm."

Beck stood up suddenly, nearly knocking over the chair. He inhaled sharply through his nose. "Fine. You don't want to cooperate…" He jerked his head at one of the guards. "No food or water 'til he talks. And I want a double guard put on this room."

The guard nodded and left.

Beck watched him until he was gone, then abruptly crouched down and grabbed Jake's chin in one hand, his voice lowering threateningly.

"You listen to me. That "ghost" you're talking about is _still _my country. A country that was knocked off it's feet and I'm trying to do my part to stand it up again. And it's people like you and your gang of vigilantes who keep tearing it down again. Now you can get up on your soapbox and accuse me of misconduct and negligence, but while you're pointing your finger at the law, consider this: America is in a civil war and the only thing we have to stand on is law and order, and if anyone stands in the way of that,"

He gritted his teeth and gripped Jake's chin harder. "It is my _duty, _to bring them to justice. That's all any of us have anymore, and I will _not_ stand by and watch the people of America crumble, for _anyone_. Not for lawyers, not for lawbreakers, and _certainly _not for the likes of _you!_"

He released Jake with a shove, stood up, and marched out of the room without looking back. The second guard followed and locked the door behind him.

Jake stared at the closed door for a long time. He'd said everything he'd been saying for the past four days. From Beck's reaction, he could tell the man was wearing down.

But Jake felt himself was wearing down faster. And he didn't know if he could hold out much longer.

The light buzzed on again, burning into Jake's already red-rimmed, bloodshot eyes.

He slid down the wall till his sweaty forehead touched on the cold, cement floor. The numbness took over again, blotting out thought and feeling.

Nothing but the white light filled his eyes.

Get up…

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_TBC_


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks to all who are reading! Here's part 2 (last part) for ya'll!

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_Jake? Hear me - can you - can you …son …you hear me?_

"Jake? Son, can you hear me?"

It took all he had to open his eyes just a crack. His lips were coated in dust and the brightness of the sun beating down on the bare dirt was blinding.  
Shadowing the sunlight just a little, he made out the silhouette of a head wearing a cowboy hat. "Dad?"

Johnston Green leaned forward and Jake could make out his face better. There were little dark whiskers on his chin again and the very tip of his nose was slightly sunburnt. "I'm here, Jake. It's alright."

"Is he gonna be okay?" Jake heard Eric's worried voice close by.

Johnston didn't answer but pulled up Jake's pant leg, exposing his swollen ankle and leg. Jake heard Eric shudder at the sight and he decided he didn't want to know.

Johnston examined the bite only for a moment and then nodded. "It's not too bad, looks like he didn't have his fangs in too long. Jake? Jake, I need you to listen to me."

Jake was having a hard time keeping his eyes open and the pain in his leg combined with the numbness of his body was making him dizzy and disoriented.  
Johnston put a hand to his forehead and then to his cheek, directing his gaze upward so he was looking his father in the eyes.

Jake started to speak but his throat as beginning to close up and his heart suddenly raced. "Dad… I can't -" His eye's went wide with panic. He dug his short, chewed fingernails into the dirt. "I can't breathe …!"

"Jake! Listen, you need to stay calm, alright? Take deep breaths and breathe through you nose. Do you hear me?"

Jake nodded feverishly and gasped. He held the breath, afraid to let it out incase he couldn't inhale again.

Johnston saw what he was doing and shook his arms. "No! Jake, that's not what I need from you. You gotta' breathe in _steady_, and breathe _out_."

Eric was raking his fingers through sticking-up, blonde hair, whimpering, "Is he okay? Is he gonna' be okay?" Over and over again.

Jake gasped again and his fingers dug further into the cracked earth.

"Close your mouth, son," Johnston urged. "Close your mouth and breathe through your nose. C'mon, with me." Jake forced his mouth shut and sucked the unwilling air though flaring nostrils. He focused on his father's face, trying to mimic his breathing. "Good, good, now let it out, nice an' easy."

His chest relaxed and two or three petrified tears slithered through the dust on his face.

"_Dad_…" Eric murmured anxiously.

"We need to get you to the hospital. Try to stay awake. I'm going to carry you back to the car."

Jake just nodded again so he could concentrate on breathing. Johnston slid one arm under his knees and the other he wrapped around his shoulders.

The moment he started to stand up, pain flooded into Jake's ankle and spiraled up his leg. It jarred his whole body. Someone cried out and, Jake supposed, it must have been him. "Dad! It hu- it hurts! Ah! No, Dad -"

"I know it does, son, just hold on. You're strong, Jake, you can fight it, just hang on!"

Johnston walked fast towards the car a little ways away followed by Eric who ran three steps for each of his father's.

Jake curled his dirty fingers into Johnston's big coat. The big coat he always wore, even in eighty-degree weather like this. He wore it because he was always ready for anything. He was ready to be big and tall and scared of nothing.

Jake heard someone crying softly and he hoped beyond hopes it was Eric, not him.

"It's alright, Jake. You're gonna be okay." Johnston whispered comfortingly as they reached the car. "Don't give up, son."

_Don't - don't give up… give up - don't give up…_

_Eric and the boys are coming, stay alert. Don't give up. __  
I love you sweetheart._

_How many people have to die before you don't care anymore?_

_Remember the time I was, uh, supposed to wake you up for that meteor shower?_

_No._

_Yeah, it was supposed to be this… this once in a life time thing. Anyway, you got so mad, I finally gave up and let you sleep.  
_

_Well, I'm not giving up this time.  
We're not gonna die in here.  
_

_Be strong._

_I don't know how much more I can take, grandpa._

_They're just trying to soften you up. A man's mind doesn't work too well without sleep. You break a man's mind, he'll give you anything you want.  
_

_The one thing you have to remember is that people are depending on you.  
Revolution_

_Jake, I don't want to die today.__  
We're gonna make it out of here. Alright? I promise._

_You're out manned and you're out gunned. There's too many of us and we are too desperate to give up. I'm giving you one last chance. Walk away, put you're guns down, and return to town, and no one else will be harmed._

_  
Jake, I need an answer, what's it gonna be?_

_Nuts._

_The most important thing is to never forget how much we have to fight for._

_  
This isn't a fight for land, this is a fight for our very existence._

_Don't give up._

_So you're punishment is to sit in this hole and die. But how does that bring back Bonnie? Or the Stanly you knew? Or the little girl in Iraq?_

_It's a start…_

_It's an ending!_

_Jake, what makes a hero great isn't never showing weakness, it's fighting back in spite of it._

_But, Dad, if you're weak, how can you ever do what's right?_

_You're stronger than you think, son. You'll see that one day, if you don't give up._

_Don't give up._

Jake opened his eyes but didn't notice the burning white light. Perhaps it was just the sun, reflecting off the desert sand.  
For the briefest moment, he thought he saw a rattlesnake slither past him and he heard Johnston's voice play him back to hospital bed at three a.m.

"What Happened?"

"I was just being stupid, Dad. It's all my fault! Eric didn't want me to go out that far or try climbing the sink, but I… I don't know, I just… I just want to do something, you know? I always want to feel like I'm doing something different, something - something I could be proud of! But I always pick the stupid thing. I think I'm too weak-minded to be a real hero." He sighed. "Boy, that sounded really lame."

Johnston shook his head. "Everybody has weaknesses, Jake."

Jake laughed humorlessly and looked away. "Yeah, well maybe that's why heroes only exist in comic books and movies."

"That's not true, either. Jake, what makes a hero great aint never showing weakness. It's fighting back in spite of it. Whenever there's trouble, people in danger or in need, when there's a problem that has to be dealt with or a battle that needs fighting, you can find a hero ready and willing give up his life for it."

"For what?"

"Different things, but mostly, I believe what usually drives us is love. Love of country, love of friends and family... and also hope."

"What do we hope for?"

Johnston tipped his hat forward and leaned back in his chair. "Well, what I hope for is that there are still people in this old world who will give it all they got to do what's right."

"But, Dad… if you're weak, how can you ever do what's right? Weakness is the opposite of strength, right? And if you don't have the strength to fight, you may as well just give up!" He pressed his head into the pillow and squeezed his eyes shut. "And where's the hope in that?"

Johnston was silent for a moment. Jake felt a little uncertain for saying all that. He and his dad didn't often talk about these things. But he wanted… or maybe needed to know the answers.

At long last, Johnston said thoughtfully, "Jake, do you know where a hero's strength comes from?"

Jake shrugged.

"When a soldier steps onto the field of battle, what is going through his mind? Is it "I only hope I'm strong enough to stay alive"? Or is it, "Lord, bring me out of this alive so I can see my wife again.". When a fireman runs into a burning building to rescue someone, he isn't thinking about keeping away from the flames. He's praying that he can save those two kids on the third floor. Strength isn't what gives us our hope and it isn't what makes us who we are."

Jake stared achingly into his father's pale blue eyes. "Then what does?"

"Love, Jake. It all comes down to that." He gave Jake's shoulder a squeeze. "That's why I get up in morning, that's how I sleep at night, and that's the only thing really worth fighting for." He put his hands on his knees and stood up slowly. "Get some rest. It's been a long week. The doctor said you might be able come home tomorrow." He turned and pulled back the curtain to leave.

"Dad?" He turned back. Jake twisted the hospital afghan around his finger. "Do you think I'll ever be able to… to make a difference?"

"I most definitely do. Especially since you already have. You have a head full of hope, a heart full of love… You're a little stupid sometimes, but you're stronger than you think, son. You'll see that one day if you don't give up."

"Thanks, Dad."

"Anytime., Jake."

_Anytime - time - time… An - Anytime_

Something erupted outside.  
Jake was no longer lucid enough to process that it was gunshots. Then there were three more bangs, closer and more shaky sounding, followed by hurried footsteps and urgent voices.

Shouting.

"Jake!"

Someone dropped down beside him and a hand turned his face upward. Out of the smog covering his vision, he thought he made out Eric's face.

A knife was sawing at the thick, plastic zip tie around his wrists. "Help me!"

Someone else was now kneeling beside him just as the tie broke and Jimmy's voice muttered, "Got it?"

"Yeah, get him up."

They each took one of Jake's arms around they're necks and lifted him up. Jake tried to stand but, as he already knew, couldn't and the other two didn't expect him to. They ran as fast as they could with Jake between them.  
Jake felt the toes of his shoes bounce limply over the uneven ground. The smell of hogs was more pungent. Were they outside?

Suddenly, there was a car door in front of him and Eric shouted "Cover us!" to an unknown figure.

The gun fire was deafening now and seemed to come from all directions. The car door was opened from the inside and someone caught hold of Jake as he was thrust urgently onto the seat. The door slammed and brakes squealed just as Jimmy closed his door. Eric let off a few more shots, and tumbled through the back window.

Emily's face swam into clearer vision and she kept whispering, "It's alright, we got you."

Jake shut his eyes and his jaw shook as the car sped down the bumpy, dirt road. "Eric?" He was surprised to hear his own voice.

"I'm here Jake," Eric panted, leaning over the back of the seat.

"Eric…" His mind was having trouble catching up to his speech. He opened his eyes again and tried to focus, even as his thoughts continued to zoom in and out of the present. "Dad."

Bill caused the car to jump around a sharp turn, and they all slid to the right a little. "Sorry," Bill called over his shoulder. "We should be out of it by now. How is he?"

"Jake are you okay?" Eric's hand reached over the seat and felt his forehead. "Em' grab the water, will you?"

She nodded and unscrewed the cap of the water bottle, pressing it to Jake's lips. "He's dehydrated," she said in answer to Bill. "And there's a fever, but I think…" she ran a hand over her eyes. "I think he'll be okay.

"Jake, we're going to a cabin on the edge of town, you'll be safe there. Hey, can you hear me?"

"Eric…"

"What is it?" Eric leaned closer so he could hear Jake's whisper.

"You remember when… when I got bit by that snake out near the Camble sink?"

He looked confused but answered, "How could I forget? You were in the hospital for like a week. What about it?"

"Just something," He coughed roughly. "Something…Dad said to me… when I was in the hospital." He shook his head a little. "It's not important… but, Eric?" He reached up and took hold of his brother's sleeve. "We're not giving up, okay? Never. Don't forget that… and don't - don't let me forget it either."

"Never," Eric echoed. "Don't worry, Jake. We're gonna make it."

"Yeah." Consciousness was slipping away from him. Having been denied food and sleep for the past three days, he no longer possessed the determination to hold onto it. "I'm a stupid hero…I'm gonna work 'n that." he murmured, but no one heard over the car's rumble.

So he let his eyes fall shut one last time, and told sleep to go ahead and do its thing.

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_THE END_


End file.
